


A new beginning...

by killians-dashingrescue (caroc25)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Captain Swan - Freeform, F/M, Modern Setting, Smut, cs modern au, roommate trope
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-10-12 19:51:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10498296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caroc25/pseuds/killians-dashingrescue
Summary: Financial problems leads Emma and her brother David to seek a roommate, which leads Killian to occupy their spare bedroom.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hey there everyone! it feels like years since I’ve posted a fic, and it feels weird to publish this. For the past 8 months or so I haven’t posted any new fic or updated my WIP Sparks, and I feel really bad but I’ve just really haven’t felt inspired even though I really wanted to write, added to the fact that my current and new (well it’s been 8 months it’s not totally new but who cares) job that takes most of my time and energy. 
> 
> I’ve been wanting to get back to writing but since i have zero inspiration, my dear friend @phiralovesloki gave me some good advice to help me get back into it, which led me to try and rewrite an old story of mine. I decided to rewrite one of the first fics I’ve written three years ago (the writing was aaaaaawful, seriously it’s dreadful). I’m improving the story and I’ll probably end up changing a few (a lot?) of things, and let me reassure you, my writing got a lot better since! I still hope you’ll enjoy it. Now I’ll shut up and let you read it.
> 
> Thanks to @ultraluckycatnd for editing the story!

The evening had been busy and hectic, which made Emma appreciate the soft gust of wind as she walked out of the dinner. Monday nights at Granny’s were usually calm, which gave her some time to study in between clients. Maybe it was the nice warm weather that spring brought after a very cold winter that made people want to go out and have a meal outside of their houses. She was grateful for the tips; she usually didn’t make much on Monday’s, but the downside was that she was starting her week exhausted. 

 

Emma debated with herself for a moment, pondering on whether she hailed for a cab or if she took the bus back to her apartment. Walking was out of the question, because her feet were killing her. The cab was quite tempting since she would be home in no time, but it meant spending some of the extra money she made tonight. With the financial strain that her and her brother had been going through, spending that extra money wouldn’t be wise. Emma sighed as she tried to muster some of the energy she had left and did the wise thing as she walked towards the bus stop. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have to wait too long for the bus to arrive. 

 

After what felt like hours (it was really fifteen minutes, but her tired state was playing tricks on her mind), Emma finally arrived at her apartment complex and slowly climbed the stairs up to her floor. Once she entered her apartment, she dropped her bag as she freed her feet from the pressure of her shoes and walked directly to the living room. She fell next to her brother on the couch and sighed with relief as she let her aching muscles finally relax. Her head slowly rolled to the side when David groaned as he closed his laptop, and she noticed that he looked tense.

 

“What’s wrong?” David looked at her discouraged as he nodded to his computer screen.

 

“I was looking at my bank account and trying to figure out how I will be able to pay all of our upcoming bills, and I really don’t know how I’ll do it.”

 

“You know I would love to be able to help you, but I’m as broke as you. If it wasn’t for the unexpected busy evening, I wouldn’t have been able to pay our upcoming bills either.”

 

David groaned once again as his head fell back, making a light thud when it hit the wall behind him. 

 

“Oh, you could ask Mom to lend you some money. You know she would lend you some in a heartbeat.” 

 

“Are you crazy? Asking Mom isn’t an option. And why would you even propose that? You know that I would never ask Mom for money for the same reasons you don’t ask her either when you’re broke.”

 

“I was just trying to help you out.” She replied as she lifted her hands in surrender. “Well, what are you going to do?”

 

“Well, I’ve been thinking about some options that could help us out. I mean, this month I’m the one struggling with bills, but sometimes it’s you too.” David paused and Emma didn’t like the way this was going. Whenever her brother paused and took his time telling her something, it’s because he knew that she might not like the news or the idea. She raised her eyebrows and nodded impatiently to encourage David to just tell her his idea already. 

 

“We could get a roommate.” Emma couldn’t stop herself from laughing, either because she was extremely tired, or because his idea was way too ridiculous. Or probably both. When David didn’t laugh and kept looking at her with a serious look, she stopped and felt herself panic. 

 

“You’re not kidding.” 

 

“I’m not. It is really my only solution to our financial problems. If we have a roommate,we split all of our bills and it will let us breathe a bit and stop stressing over money so we can focus on our studies.” David really was enthusiastic with the idea, which made Emma wonder how long he had been thinking about that. 

 

“Yeah I get that, but you know how I feel about the whole having a roommate. It’s why I live with my brother and not a stranger or a friend that would end up annoying me. What if we have someone living with us that is an inconsiderate asshole, that doesn’t respect our boundaries, or even worse that robs us! And where would they have a room?”

 

“We wouldn’t have a random person live here with us, believe me I will interview them and I’ll make sure not to have a creep live with us. And I was thinking that we could empty the office we never use. We’re always studying either in our rooms or in the kitchen table, it’s not as if we’ll miss that room.”

 

“I don’t know David, you know how I feel about this.” She sighed as she tried to consider her brother’s idea. 

 

“Look Emma, if we do this, I’ll make sure that we don’t have a freak living with us. If it makes you feel better, give me a list of criterias and I’ll make sure that our future roommate checks them.” Emma groaned as she let her head fall to the back of the couch.

 

“Okay fine. But give me some time to think of some criteria before making the ad.” 

 

“Don’t worry, you won’t be disappointed.” David smiled at her as he leaned in for a hug. 

 

“Good, I trust you with this.” She told him as she got up from the couch. “I’m off to bed, I have a lot to do tomorrow.”

 

As she got ready for bed, Emma couldn’t stop thinking about this roommate thing. She knew that she was maybe overreacting with this whole situation, but she had valid concerns and David knew about them. Before being adopted by Ruth, she had her share of foster families and in a sense, her share of roommates, that made her life a living hell. Living with David was safe and she likes it. Adding someone else to their little family could really fuck things up. 

 

By the time she finished with her nightly routine, she was so exhausted from her day and from her conversation with her brother that the moment her head hit her pillow, she was already half asleep. 

 

Two weeks went by and David was still looking for the perfect roommate. He was true to his word. He was being thorough in his search and he was really keeping in mind the list she gave him. He was interviewing each prospect, and Emma had a feeling that he wasn’t only doing that for her, but putting his profiling skills to the test. She knew she was being difficult but she really didn’t want to end up feeling uncomfortable in her own apartment. 

 

Near the end of the week, she received a text from her brother while she was on her break at the restaurant. 

 

_ David: I found us a roommate! He’ll be moving in tomorrow.  _

 

_ Emma: Okay. Do you know when tomorrow? I’m going to be out most of the day.  _

 

_ David: Don’t worry, I’ll be here to greet him.  _

 

_ Emma: Good. If he turns out to be a total ass I am kicking your butt.  _

 

They were really doing this. Emma took a deep breath and tucked her phone in her apron and headed back to work, feeling the nerves of this new living situation kicking in. 

 

-/-

 

Killian really needed to find a place to live. It had been a few weeks now that he has been crashing on Graham’s couch. He was grateful that his friend was kind enough to let him stay in his loft, but he really needed to find himself somewhere to live. His belongings were still in the storage unit he had rented after he and Milah broke up, and he really needed to get his stuff out of there before it ate all of his money away.

 

Not wanting to abuse his friend’s hospitality, Killian finally gathered the courage to start looking for apartments; or at least somewhere where he could have a space that he could call his. He had found an interesting ad; it was a room to rent and he would be living with two other people. He wasn’t the roommate type of guy but after a nasty break-up, living alone probably wasn’t the best idea. Knowing himself, if he was living alone, it would be endless night of him and a bottle rum. Maybe having roommates would help him not to feel too alone and miserable. 

 

Deciding to take a chance, he decided to call the number on the ad. He ended up having an appointment to visit the apartment later that afternoon. A tall, fair haired man greeted him and introduced himself as David, one of the tenants. He made him visit every room of the apartment, spending a bit more time in the spare room which would be his if he decided to move in with them. Killian also found out that the other person living there was actually David’s sister. He didn’t know how he felt about that, living with siblings, but so far, there wasn’t a weird vibe coming from the man next to him. He thought it was quite particular the amount of questions David was asking him, but in a sense he understood. They were letting a stranger live in their space. 

 

Almost an hour went by and Killian found himself still talking to David, not talking about the living arrangements but actually having a conversation on their common interests. As he kept the conversation going, he thought to himself how easy it was talking to David and that in a short amount of time, he actually got along with him. By the end of their appointment, he informed David that he was interested in renting the room. To his surprise, David didn’t waste time on giving him his answer. They end up making moving arrangements for the next day. 

 

On his way back to Graham’s apartment, Killian felt lighter knowing that starting tomorrow, he’ll have a space that he’ll be able to call his; finally starting the process of moving on. He still felt wary about this whole thing. It’s a big change, and he won’t deny that the fact that he’ll be moving in an apartment shared by siblings could be awkward. Worst case scenario, he’ll find another place to live; it’s not as if he was signing a lease. 

 

Graham was happy to hear the news that he found himself a place to live other than his couch, and he’s happy to be able to be out of his friend’s hair. Graham offered to help go get his belongings in the storage unit the next day to help him with his move. They decide to spend their last evening together with a pack of beer and pizza. 

 

“I think this will be good for you. A new beginning.” Graham told him as he got up from the couch to go fetch them another beer. 

 

“Thanks. It’s definitely a new beginning. I’m really hoping that I’m not making a mistake moving in with siblings, but I really can’t stay here any longer.”

 

“You know I don’t mind Killian. You’ve been through a tough break-up; the least I could do was to let you stay here. And who knows, maybe this Emma girl will help you forget Milah.” Killian couldn’t help himself but laugh at his friend’s absurd comment.

 

“First of all, I am in no way ready to invest myself in another relationship, now or ever. Second of all, do you really think I am dumb enough to even think to get involved with someone I’m going to have to share an apartment with? And even worse, where her older brother is living also? I haven’t even met the lass. There’s a chance that she isn’t even my type.” 

 

“Whatever you say, mate.” Graham told him as he took a swig of his beer. 

 

The next day around noon, Killian arrived at his new apartment complex with Graham. With the help of his new roommate, they moved his things out of the truck and into his room. He didn’t have much and with the three of them, it only took them half an hour to take all of his belongings up the stairs. Once they were done, Graham congratulated him as he gave Killiam a one armed hug before heading back to work. 

 

David gave Killian a spare key as he told him where the nearest store was in case he needed anything. He thanked him and went to unpack his things, wanting to have his room as comfortable as possible. Once he was done, he went out to the living room and saw David sitting on the couch as he was watching tv. 

 

“Do you mind?” he asked as he gestured the seat next to him.

 

“Not at all. There’s more beer in the fridge if you want one.” David told him before he had the chance to even sit. 

 

“Oh, I wouldn’t say no to a beer on moving day.” 

 

He walked over to the kitchen so he could grab his drink. It felt weird walking around this new environment and knowing that it was now where he was going to live. Killian walked back to the living room and sat next to David, who tipped his own beer towards him.

 

“Cheers.” David told him once he did the same. They both took a sip in silence while Killian was trying to figure out how to break the silence between them.

 

“I’ve yet to meet your sister. What does she do?”

 

“She’s studying to become a social worker, and in between classes she works as a waitress over at Granny’s.”

 

“Wow, you two make quite the pair, one future detective and one future social worker. Helping others seems to run in the family.” 

 

“That we do. The difference between me and my sister is that she tends to forget herself. She’s always so focused on helping others that she puts aside her own happiness so others can feel happy.”

 

“That’s a pity.” He was curious about his other roommate that he had yet to meet. Besides what David had just told him, he knew very little about this other person that he was going to share the apartment with, and hoped that they would get along.  “What about your sister? What does she think of this? You two having a roommate.”

 

“She isn’t fond of it, but we have been living with a financial strain for some time now, me more than her, and we really don’t want to move. We like it here, so she agreed that if we wanted to stay here and relieve ourselves from some of the pressure, the option of a roommate wasn’t that bad.” David explained.

 

They drank a few beers as they continued to get to know each other. Eventually, Killian felt the events of the day take a toll on him and decided to take a shower before heading to bed. He wished David goodnight as he then walked towards his room to get his towel before heading for the bathroom. He noticed that the door didn’t have a lock and assumed there was a way to lock it with the door knob somehow, but he couldn’t seem to find the correct way to do it. He gave up and told himself that it was late enough and that the sound of the shower was enough for his roommates to know that someone was in there. He’d ask them tomorrow how to make the lock work. At this moment the only thing he wanted was to take a hot shower. 

 

He took his time cleaning himself, enjoying how the warm water helped relaxed his tense muscles. Once he was clean, he stepped out of the shower and grabbed his towel to dry off. As he finished wrapping the towel around his hips, the bathroom door opened before he had the chance to say anything, and found himself face to face with a woman with gorgeous green eyes and long blond hair.

 

“I… I… sorry” were the only words out of her mouth before she closed the door and fled. 

 

Killian felt his cheeks go warm, embarrassed that his first encounter with his other roommate was her stumbling in on him half naked in the bathroom. He decided to finish drying himself and get dressed, putting his sweatpants on along with his t-shirt before trying to catch up with Emma and apologize and hopefully introduce himself in a less embarrassing way. 

 

He tried the living room first, hoping on seeing her there but the room was empty. He heard some noise coming from the kitchen and decided to try there. She was standing in the kitchen, her back to the counter as she slightly leaned on it. She had a glass of water in her hands as she seemed deep in thought. Killian cleared his throat to make his presence known and instantly felt uncomfortable the moment she lifted her eyes to look at him. His nervous tick kicked in, his fingers itching to scratch the back of his ear as he tentatively walked towards her.

 

“I’m Killian, your new roommate.” She looked at him, her face not showing any emotion whatsoever. 

 

“Emma.” she simply said. 

 

“I, uh, didn’t know how to lock the door.” 

 

“You lift the knob and give it a little push.” she explained as she then proceeded to finish her glass of water. 

 

“I’ll try and remember that.” He said with a light chuckle. She gave him a hint of a smile before turning her back to him so she could put her empty glass in the sink.

 

“Goodnight.” She told him decisively as she left the kitchen.

 

Killian stood alone in the kitchen for a minute or two, not really knowing what to think of this brief discussion with Emma. He grabbed himself a glass of water and headed to his room as he settled himself under the covers. Tomorrow would be another day. Hopefully, they’ll be able to start fresh.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here’s the second chapter of my fic reboot! Starting next chapter things will start to change compared to the original! I hope you’ll still love it! 
> 
> Thanks to @ultraluckycatnd for being my beta!

The next morning, Emma woke up in a bit of a panic, thinking she was late for class until she realized it was Saturday. She laid back down on her bed, knowing she wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep, but she at least wanted to enjoy the perks of a Saturday morning and be lazy in her bed. The first thought that popped into her mind when she settled back under her covers was her new roommate. Last night had been a pretty slow night at the diner and when Granny came to ask her if she wanted to head home early, she was more than happy to accept her boss’s offer. The past few weeks had been quite intense as she was getting ready for her finals, and her insane work schedule gave her very little social life or time for even herself. So as she headed home, the only thing she had in mind was getting home and binge watching some show on Netflix while falling asleep on the couch. Emma had totally forgotten that their new roommate was moving in that same day, so she really wasn’t expecting to find a stranger standing in her bathroom. 

 

With her tired state and after the shock of her first meeting with him, she hadn’t had time to process any of it. Once she was in her bedroom, she got ready for bed and tried to fall asleep. Now that she was thinking about it, though, she felt quite embarrassed and uncomfortable about the whole situation. Embarrassed that she walked in on him and that she couldn’t help herself from gawking at him; her eyes following that patch of chest hair trailing down his abdomen. Emma felt even more uncomfortable when he came to join her in the kitchen, and that the first thought that came to mind was that he looked damn good with clothes on too. Her instincts instantly kicked in when he bashfully introduced himself to her, which ended up with her acting distant and cold. 

 

Emma groaned into her pillow thinking about how things started off with her new roommate, and how that was exactly what she didn’t want: to feel uncomfortable in her own apartment. Knowing that staying locked up in her bedroom the whole day wouldn’t be the solution, even though she wouldn’t mind staying in bed for most of the day, she needed to get up to do her chores, study for her finals, and actually face Killian at some point. 

 

The growling of her stomach was what pushed her out of bed. She grabbed her oversized hoodie and headed out of her room. She made a quick stop to the bathroom, making sure this time that it was actually empty. Once her face was washed, she walked towards the kitchen where she could hear her brother talking to someone, most probably Killian. Emma took a deep breath to gather the courage to face him. They were both sitting at the kitchen table and both turned their heads around as she entered the room.

 

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” greeted her brother, a bit too cheerfully. 

 

“Good morning.” 

 

“Have you met Killian?” Emma glanced quickly at Killian and she noticed that he seemed to be as uncomfortable as she was. She turned towards the coffee pot, needing something to keep her busy.

 

“Yes, we have. We met when I came back from work last night,” she said, intentionally omitting how they met. There was a moment of silence as she prepared her coffee and breakfast, and she hoped that her new roommate wouldn’t add anything as to how they met. Thankfully, the silence didn’t last long since her brother broke the awkward pause. 

 

“Do you have to work today?” Emma finished spreading the raspberry jam and peanut butter on her toast and went to sit at the table, making sure her chair was as far away from Killian as possible. 

 

“No, but I have a ton of things to do. You?”

 

“Yes.” David answered as he couldn’t stop the grin that made its way to his face.

 

“Oooh, so that’s why you are so happy and cheerful this morning.” 

 

“Why would work make him happy?” Killian asked confused. 

 

“Well you see,” Emma started as she looked at him, and damn, she felt her breath hitch a bit when she locked her eyes on his but managed to regain her composure quickly before continuing. “My brother has this major crush on this girl he works with at the animal shelter, Mary Margaret.”

 

“I don’t have a crush on her.” David said defensively.

 

“Sorry, I meant to say the girl that you are in  _ love _ with.” She grinned at her brother as he groaned, and could hear Killian chuckling at her comment. 

 

“Anyway,” said David as he ignored his sister and turned his attention to their roommate, “do you have plans for today?”

 

“Well, today I’m not working, so I’ll probably head out to buy the furniture I’m missing.”

 

Emma mentally let out a sigh of relief. She was going to have the apartment to herself, which meant she was going to be able to study in peace. She was so busy planning her day in her head that she didn’t notice that her brother had left the kitchen, probably to get ready for work. She realized she was alone with Killian when she heard him clear his throat, which made her look at him. She gave him a shy smile in response and not knowing what to do or say to him, she grabbed her dishes and went to drop them in the sink, mumbling that she needed to start on chores as she left the kitchen.

 

Once she was in her room, she decided to start her list of chores with laundry. It was still early and the laundry room was probably empty so she wouldn’t need to wait for a washing machine to be free. Emma got out of her room with her laundry basket and made a quick stop to the bathroom to brush her teeth, not wanting to go around the building with coffee breath. As she finished brushing her teeth, Killian barged into the bathroom and halted once he saw her standing in front of the sink with toothbrush in hand. 

 

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this love.” Killian said as he came to stand next to her to grab his own toothbrush.

 

“Yeah well, I think we should both take the habit of knocking on the door, you know just to be safe. And also, I’m not your love.” He smirked at her comment and honestly, how could this man be this hot.

 

“Well, I wouldn’t mind barging in here if you were in the same state I was last night.” He said with a wink, which made her roll her eyes and groan in disgust as she put her toothbrush back in its cup.

 

“In your dreams buddy.” she said as she walked past him. 

 

She kept thinking as she made her way down to the laundry room that of course, a guy as handsome as him had to be a major flirt. On the other hand, it’ll be easier for her to deal with him now. Men that couldn’t keep it in their pants were a major turn off for her. 

 

-/-

 

It had been a few weeks that Killian had been living with David and Emma. He had been spending most of his time at the apartment with David, hanging out in the evening drinking a few beers when both of them were exhausted from their days and needed to decompress. He found out during those nights that David wanted to work in law enforcement and become a detective. The more he thought about it, the more Killian thought that it was a profession that suited the man. He was righteous, smart, and he really cared about others. 

 

He also found out how bad David had it for Mary Margaret. As much as he tried to talk about the woman as if he would talk of any coworker, he noticed how David smiled whenever her name was mentioned and how enthusiastic he was to talk about her. Emma was right, he was definitely in love with his coworker. One evening, David finally admitted that he did, in fact, have a thing for Mary Margaret, and Killian tried as much as he could to motivate his roommate to ask her out on a date, but he wasn’t sure if she reciprocated his feelings. He gave him every once and awhile a little pep talk hoping it would give him the courage to ask her out.

 

As for Emma, he rarely had a chance to see her. She was always either studying, working, or at the library. He didn’t know how she was doing it, she barely had time for herself and he wondered how she was able to do all of it without collapsing. Killian didn’t know much about her besides what David had previously told him, and the fact that she seemed to be kind of a loner. Emma seemed to be avoiding him as much as she could. Whenever he entered a room, she seemed eager to leave the room if he was in it or if he entered it. If she had to stay in the same room as him, she was adamant on talking to her brother whilst ignoring him. 

 

He had an inkling that the flirtatious comment he said the last time they bumped into each other in the bathroom rubbed her the wrong way. He had been nervous, and whenever he was nervous he had a tendency to flirt. He tried to make amends with her by doing nice gestures, such as making sure there was extra coffee in the morning for her, or cooking meals that everyone could enjoy. Killian barely received a thank you whenever he did any of those things, not even a hint of smile that would acknowledge the gesture. He was beginning to feel quite irritated by her coldness, and after a few weeks of trying, he decided ‘ _ to hell with it _ ’. If she wanted to be unpleasant, so be it. 

 

That night, Killian had to work at the bar and Graham decided to stop by. Ever since he had moved out of his friend’s place, he didn’t have much time to see his friend. The warm weather had attracted a lot of clients, especially since they decided to put on the terrace outside. He gave Graham a pint once he was sitting in the stool at the bar, and poured himself one as well. 

 

“So tell me, how are you settling in?” Graham asked after Killian finished serving a round of shots to a group of girls. 

 

“Good. Finally managed to finish furnishing my room, and I’m getting along quite well with David.” 

 

“What about the sister?” At the mention of his other roommate, Killian let out a heavy sigh as he shook his head.”Are you telling me that this woman isn’t swooned by your charms and good looks?” 

 

“Let’s say that she likes to keep to herself.”

 

“Mhm, yeah, okay.” Graham said skeptically. “Well you were bound to find a woman that would be unaffected by you. You can’t have the attention of all of them.”

 

“I am not seeking her attention or the attention of any woman as a matter of fact. And even if she was affected by me, I wouldn’t do anything because one, I just got out of a five year relationship, and two, do you really think I would be stupid enough as to get involved with my roommate?” Killian gulped down his drink once he was done talking.

 

“Woah, calm down mate, I was just teasing.” Graham said with his hands raised in surrender. 

 

“Whatever, want another drink or do you want to keep pissing me off?” he spat. 

 

“If you’re going to stay in this mood, I’ll go back to my place and have a beer by myself.” Killian sighed and grabbed his friend’s empty glass and filled it up.

 

“Sorry mate, just a tad tired.” He filled his own glass before tapping his pint with Graham’s. He spent the rest of the evening talking with his friend while he served clients and cleaned and organized his space behind the bar. 

 

Killian arrived at the apartment a little after midnight, and the place was dark except for the lamp that was still on in the living room. He took his shoes off and walked towards the kitchen, wanting to make himself a snack that he could eat while watching Netflix in bed. He walked past the living room and noticed that the television was still on. He also noticed that Emma was lying down on the couch on her side, with a pillow tucked under her head and she was sound asleep. He stopped for a moment and looked at her. It wasn’t often that he got to see her in such a peaceful state. He chastised himself when he thought she looked cute in her pink pyjama bottoms and her white tank top. He tried not look at her breasts, the way they pressed together in her current sleeping position, but it was quite hard not to. Killian noticed that her body shivered, and thought that she might be cold. He looked around the living room for the striped throw they kept nearby. He grabbed it from the armchair next to the couch and used it to cover Emma with it. He shut the television off and looked at Emma one last time before turning the lights off. 

 

He decided to go directly to bed, feeling the exhaustion of his day catching up to him. Once he was settled under his comforter, he thought about Emma and how despite the fact he told himself ‘ _ the hell with her’, _ he did actually want to get to know her. For the first time in two months, he fell asleep not with Milah in mind, but with Emma. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all liked it!! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally the new chapter is up! So this is the chapter where things start to change from the original story. I've already started on the next chapter but the next few weeks at work are going to be craaaazy busy so I'll try not to let you guys wait too long!
> 
> Thanks to ultraluckycatnd for being my beta!
> 
> Enjoy!

Emma slowly woke up and as she opened her eyes, she realized that she wasn’t in her room. She was, in fact, still laying on the couch, but instead of still being night, it was now morning. She must have fallen asleep while watching television. She sat up and as she stretched, she noticed that the television was off. She didn’t remember turning it off, and as that thought went through her mind, she realized that she didn’t grab the throw either as she settled herself on the couch the night before. She heard a noise coming from the kitchen, figuring it was probably David that was already up and getting ready for work.

 

She decided to get up from the couch, folding the throw and placing it on its usual place at the back of the couch. Emma noticed that her neck was a bit stiff from sleeping awkwardly on the couch all night. She thought it might be a good idea to put a heating pad on her neck while eating her breakfast to relax her muscles. 

 

As she entered the kitchen, her steps faltered when she saw that David was not alone in the room as previously thought. Killian was also present, the both of them sitting at the kitchen table. Emma didn’t know why she kept being surprised on seeing him in her apartment, but she was. 

 

“Good morning, sis. Sleep well?” asked David. 

 

“Yeah, I really did. I must have been exhausted but my body is paying the price this morning,” she said as she stretched her muscles; the action releasing a bit of the tension and strain on her shoulders and back. “Thanks for the blanket last night,” she told her brother as she poured herself her first cup of coffee of the day. 

 

“It wasn’t me. I went to bed before you fell asleep on the couch and I didn’t leave my room until this morning. When I woke up, you already had it on you.” David explained with his mug in mid-air. 

 

“Then who did? Did I do it while I was sleeping?” she asked herself in a confused whisper. 

 

“Actually, I did.” Killian confessed as he looked up at her with a small timid smile. Emma stood there, mildly stunned as she asked herself why would he do that? 

 

David’s eyes wandered between her and Killian, waiting for Emma to react, as did her roommate. Seeing that she wasn’t really responding to his admission, Killian opened his mouth to clarify last night’s gesture. 

 

“I came back last night, and I saw you sleeping on the couch with the television and lights on. You seemed to be sleeping well and I didn’t want to bother you. But, since you seemed to be freezing, I grabbed the blanket to cover you.” 

 

Emma was still stunned over Killian’s nice gesture. It seemed that he could do something nice besides giving comments filled with double meaning. She cleared her throat and thanked him shyly.

 

“Okay…” David said to break the awkward moment. This prompted Emma to go back to her original task, which was to make her coffee and breakfast. “So Emma, I still didn’t ask you if you had any plans in sight now that you semester is over?”

 

“Mm, not much. Ruby wants to go out tonight to celebrate, but I don’t know.”

 

“Why not? You’ve been working your ass off these past few months. Go out, have some fun,” her brother insisted. 

 

“Ugh, I don’t know. You know how Ruby gets whenever we go out. She starts buying shots and shortly, after it’s followed with her usual speech about me being single and that I should have fun and basically sleep around and starts trying to hook me up with random dudes. It gets annoying.” Emma said to her brother as she settled herself at the table with the guys, noticing Killian looking at her with an eyebrow raised and what seemed to be one of his usual grins that she really tried to ignore because of the effect it had over her. 

“Well, good luck saying no to Ruby,” was all that David said.

“On that note, I have things to do.” Killian said as he got up and then walked over to the counter to drop his dishes into the sink.

“See you, Jones.” replied David as his attention went back to his newspaper. 

Killian waved at him and then his hand landed on her shoulder. Emma turned around to look at him with a surprised expression and before she could say anything, he opened his mouth. 

“See you later, Emma.”

That was all he said before he winked and walked out of the kitchen. Just when she thought that he could be nice and sweet, he had to wink at her. An annoyed groan left her mouth before she realized the sound she made was actually quite loud, which made David lift his eyes from his newspaper and glance at her with a questioning look.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“You forget that I know you. You just made that sound you make when you’re annoyed or pissed. What’s up?” he asked as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest. 

“It’s nothing.” she automatically replied as she took a bite of her peanut butter toast. She could feel her brother stare at her and when she looked up, she saw the skeptical look.

“Ugh, fine.” she said, defeated. “It’s Killian. I know you two have become friends and all, but I can’t stop myself from thinking that he’s annoying.”

“That’s nothing new, you think all men are annoying, except for me of course.”

“That’s not true! I don’t think all men are annoying! It’s just that Killian is Captain Innuendo and it bugs me.” Emma replied, trying to defend her opinion on her roommate. 

“Okay, I’ll grant you that, but his comments are completely harmless and you know that, you’re just looking at an excuse to dislike him. Not every guy will be like Neal; he was an exception, albeit an unfortunate one. You should stop labeling all men into the same category after one jerk. You might miss the good one.”

Emma looked down at her plate, the tip of fingers toying with the breadcrumbs left on it. She knew her brother was right; she  _ should _ stop putting every guy she met in the same basket labelled with the word  _ ‘asshole’  _ on it. Easier said than done.

“Seriously, he’s one of the good ones. Just be nicer to him and leave him off the hook on those small comments. He’s just teasing, and I think it’s just his way to deal with people he feels uncomfortable with.” 

“I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything.” 

“Just the fact that you’ll try is enough.” David smiled as he took her hand in his. She smiled back at him, and she wondered what she would do without him in her life. 

“So, your semester is finished too. Why don’t you come out with me and Ruby tonight? It’ll do you some good as well.”

“Er,” he started bashfully, his cheeks now pink, something that only happened when he talked about a certain person. “I actually have a date tonight.”

There you go. 

“Mary Margaret, I presume.” Emma couldn’t help herself but to bump her shoulder with her brother’s. His answering smile was all she needed to know.

“Glad that you finally gained the courage to ask her out.” 

“Me too, but I have to say that without the help of Killian, it would have taken me even longer.”

“I already told you I would try and be nice to him, stop trying to brighten his image.” she teased, making David chuckle. 

“I’m just stating the facts.”

“Whatever,” she told him as she got up and grabbed their dirty dishes.” Anyways, if you two feel like grabbing a drink with us tonight, just let me know and I’ll text which bar Ruby will be dragging me into.”

-/-

His shift so far had been slow, but it was still early. The discussion with his roommates reminded him that it was the end of semester for everybody. And like Emma’s friend, they mostly all planned on going out to celebrate. It was going to be a busy night at the bar. 

Killian busied himself by making sure his shelves were stocked for the evening. As the hours went by, more of his co-workers arrived;, just in time, as college students started to enter the bar. He was happy to see that he would be working behind the counter with Tink, and he knew she felt the same way. They often worked together on busy nights and the pairing worked well. Both made sure everyone was served quickly and with a smile, which helped them gain more tips since most people then tended to come back to his shared bar with Tink that to the other counters that were in the bar. 

They both noticed when they worked together that all the women tended to go to his side of the bar, and the men to hers. They both used it to their advantage with some harmless flirting. Women tended to just tip him a bit more, but there were some who were more persistent and tried to give him their number. Whenever things started to get a tad out of control, Tink came to save the day by being cozy with him which, most of the time, made those women back off. It was the same for Tink. Whenever a guy was being overbearing or sometimes handy, Killian went to put the man in his place. And every once and awhile, he was forced to drag the guy out of the bar. He knew that Tink appreciated what he did for her, as she often told him. He knew that it made her feel safe, since being a beautiful women working in a bar often made men think that it was okay to objectify them. 

Besides working well together, they also got along very well together. When things started to go sour with Milah, Tink was his sounding board and was there for him when they broke up. He can’t remember all of those evenings spent sharing a glass of rum after hours with Tink hearing him pour his heart out. 

“Hello Killy, how are you?” she asked as she joined him behind the bar. 

“Hello love, I’m doing fine. And you?” he asked, foregoing correcting her on the nickname she had chosen  to call him. He had come to learn that it was useless to tell her to stop calling him ‘Killy’. 

“Great! Ready to make some good money tonight?” she asked as she installed herself on her side of the bar. 

“What do you think? I’m always ready love.” he said with a wink which earned him a huffing sound from Tink.

It didn’t take long for groups of college students to start to fill the bar. Even though the place was now almost full, he still wasn’t extremely busy since the patrons were only ordering pitchers of beers, for now. Killian knew that as the evening will go on, cocktails and shooters will be ordered. 

As usual, he had mostly women ordering at his side of the bar. Most of them flirted with him as they ordered their drinks, and Killian worked on autopilot as he flirted back. A few of them tried to take advantage and bought him a shot to take with them. Some who felt even more willing gave him their phone number. He stayed polite, smiled back and thanked them without giving them false hope. He didn’t have the intention of calling them back; never did and never would. 

Killian finished serving a group of girls and turned to the other side of his bar knowing that there were people waiting to give their order. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling a genuine smile, when he came face to face with a blonde with green eyes. 

“Swan.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :D xxx


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So I finally have another chapter for you guys! I hope you all like it! FYI, for those who have been reading my story Sparks, it's been a while since I updated it, but I started working on it again lately, so a new chapter should be posted very soon!
> 
> Thanks to ultraluckycatnd for editing this story :) 
> 
> Enjoy!

Emma felt slightly out of place as she entered the bar. She had lost the fight over choosing her own outfit for tonight, as per usual, giving Ruby the power to choose which outrageous outfit would cover her. Emma managed to make her friend choose something at least mid-thigh in length with not too much cleavage. Which meant that the dress she was wearing tonight was very pink and skin tight. 

 

She noticed as they walked further inside the bar that there were a few girls wearing some provocative pieces of clothing. Most of them were dressed casually, though, which meant that Emma felt extremely self-conscious with the dress that she was wearing. She turned to look at her friend and only saw Ruby smiling and walking around with no shame at all. Of fucking course. 

 

They managed to walk through the crowd and join their friends that had already chosen a table. Ariel was the first one to spot them and waved them over. Once they were seated with everybody else, Emma tried to find a comfortable sitting position in regards to the dress she was wearing. When she noticed that there was only a pitcher of beer on the table, she decided she needed something stronger if she was going to survive the evening with these clothes. She needed to feel less self-conscious and hard liquor was the way to go.

 

“I’m gonna go to the bar. Anybody want something?” she asked as she got up. 

 

“Oh, I’ll come with you.” said Ruby as she excitedly got up from her seat, grabbed her hand, and made a beeline towards the bar. 

 

She knew that the only reason Ruby really wanted to head to the bar was so that she could scan the place for potential preys for the night. And she knew that Ruby never scoured the place only for herself, but for Emma as well. 

 

Emma let out a discouraged sigh when she saw the crowd in front of the bar; mostly girls in provocative outfits. The amount of people didn’t seem to discourage Ruby though, as she made her way to a small opening at the counter as she dragged Emma along. They managed to settle themselves at the counter, and Emma instantly started to look at what kind of alcohol they held on their shelves. She got distracted when Ruby elbowed her as she whispered not very subtly:

 

“Oh God, look at this barman.” Emma tore her eyes away from the shelves and felt her heart stop when she saw the barman walking towards them as he gave them a familiar grin.

 

“Swan.” Killian greeted her simply, and she felt Ruby’s head snap towards her, knowing oh so well what was awaiting her afterwards. 

 

“Killian. So this is the bar where you work.” 

 

“It is.” The smile he was giving her was enough for her to be weak in the knees. And she hated that he could make her feel that way. She had the urge to say something sarcastic, but she remembered what her brother told her that morning; to be nice to him. At the same time, she felt Ruby give her a subtle tap on her hip.

 

“Er, Kilian this is my friend Ruby. Ruby, this is David’s and my new roommate, Killian.”

 

“Nice to meet you, Killian.” Emma saw her friend give him her flirty smile, and she couldn’t help the knot that settled in her stomach. 

 

“Yeah, so can I have a whiskey?” She said before either of them could say anything to each other. Killian looked a bit taken aback with her dry tone, and nodded at her before turning his gaze back to Ruby.

 

“What about you, love?” 

 

“Same.” He drummed his fingers on the counter before he went to grab the whiskey bottle and two tumblers. 

 

“You soooo like him!” said Ruby the moment Killian turned his back to them.

 

“What? No! He’s annoying.” 

 

“Mmhm. So why did you act all jealous when I intentionally flirted a tiny bit with him?”

 

“You’re talking nonsense.”

 

“You forget I know you.” Ruby sing songed a bit too proudly. Killian arrived a moment later with their drinks.

 

“How much?” Emma asked as she took her drink to avoid looking at him. 

 

“It’s on me.”

 

“No, I want to pay. How much?” She saw Killian sigh as he leaned forward above the counter. Her breath hitched when his hand went to rest on hers. 

 

“Go have fun, Emma. This one is on me.” he simply said. She gulped as she looked at the sweet and genuine smile he was giving her. 

 

“Fine, but I’m paying the next one.” 

 

Killian chuckled as he leaned back and resumed his place behind the bar. “We’ll see.” was the last thing he told her before he went to serve other clients. 

 

She turned around expecting to have Ruby looking at her after their exchange, but she found no one next to her. Emma walked back to where her and her friends were sitting, and saw that her friend was already at the table. 

 

“So it seems you have a thing for your roommate?” asked Ariel.

 

“Ruby! Seriously?” Her friend shrugged as she took a sip of her drink, not even protesting that she wasn’t the one that started the apparent rumor in their group of friends. Emma sighed as she shook her head. 

 

“Are you going to talk about it?” Insisted Mulan who had been silent so far. 

 

“There’s nothing to talk about. I don’t have a thing for my roommate.” she said dryly as she took a much needed sip of her alcoholic drink. 

 

“Can you explain, then, the huge amount of unresolved sexual tension I just witnessed?” 

 

“You’re being delusional Ruby. Annoyance isn’t equivalent to unresolved sexual tension.” 

 

The brunette hummed as she pondered on what she had just said. Emma mentally prayed that this was the end of this discussion, and that she could finally start celebrating the fact that she had a few months to look forward to with no studies or exams. 

 

It seemed as if her wish was granted when Mulan decided to change subjects and her friend started to talk about her upcoming fencing competition. From then on, they didn’t go back to the subject of Killian, and she was more than happy when her friends offered to go over to the bar to get everybody's drinks. 

 

Her brother texted her a few hours later, asking her if they were still at the bar. When she answered in the affirmative, he arrived at the bar shortly thereafter with Mary Margaret. David was more than eager to present to them his date. The moment she saw the petite brunette with the pixie cut, she instantly understood why her brother was so infatuated with her. She was beautiful and she exuded kindness. And based on the way she was looking at her brother, she was a goner as well. They both sat down at their table and joined the conversation. 

 

Emma learned that Mary Margaret was working at the animal shelter to pay for school as well. She was in her last year of her education degree to become a teacher. In fact, she was already teaching as a substitute every once and awhile at the elementary school, and she really seemed to love it. They kept talking about their respective field study as they evening went on. 

 

They were deep in conversation when she heard her brother greet someone with a loud cheer and open arms, which was followed seconds later by David presenting Mary Margaret to their roommate. 

 

“Aren’t you supposed to be working?” 

 

“Well love, I’m allowed to have a break, now aren’t I?”

 

She couldn’t stop herself but to roll her eyes. Deciding that she needed a drink, or rather, something stronger, she got up and asked her group of friends if they wanted some shots. Emma walked over to the bar and ordered ten shots of tequila from Killian’s coworker. As she was waiting for the shots to be poured, she felt someone lean on the bar next to her. 

 

“What do you want, Jones?” Emma asked dryly. 

 

“To help you carry those shots over to the table, but it seems that I’m being inappropriate. Tell me Swan, what did I do for you to be this displeased with me?”

 

She didn’t feel like having this conversation here and now, so she decided that if she didn’t look at him and ignored his comment he would go away and they would put whatever this was aside. 

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Oh really? Well, I find that hard to believe.” Emma let out a frustrated sigh at his response, seeing that he wasn’t letting the matter go. “Ever since I moved in, you will go to great lengths to ignore and avoid me. And when you do acknowledge my presence and dare talk to me, well, let’s say it isn’t in the friendliest of tones.”

 

“What do you want from me?”

 

Killian didn’t have time to answer. She could tell that he was pissed and that he had more to say to her, but they were interrupted by her brother. 

 

“Is everything okay?” he asked sensing the tension between them.

 

“Yes.” They both answered at the same time as they looked at each other. 

 

“Well, I need to go back to work, see you later.” With that said, Killian went back behind the counter while Emma paid for the shots. David stayed silent next to her, and she knew he was looking at her. She then remembered the discussion she had with her brother earlier that day, and she realized that she was having a hard time doing what she had promised him. 

 

“Yeah, I know.” She simply answered to his silent comment. “Wanna help me carry those?”

 

David sighed, resigned about not being able to make her talk, so he grabbed the tray and helped her carry the shots. Emma couldn’t help herself but to look at Killian before joining her group of friends, and she suddenly felt bad to see his tensed shoulders and frown as he filled the shelves. 

 

-/-

 

Killian went back to work after his encounter with Emma, bitter and annoyed. He kept thinking of their conversation as he started to clean and stock his counter, and he may have been a bit abrupt in his movements. He couldn’t believe that she could be so stubborn. He had given her a chance to tell him what her problem with him was, and she was insisting that there was no problem when clearly there was. He didn’t understand why she was acting that way. He knew that having a roommate wasn’t something that she had wanted but still, it didn’t give her the right to act that way.

 

At some point while they were closing the bar, Tink came to his side and nudged him in the side. 

 

“You’ve been in a foul mood ever since you came back from your break. What happened?” 

 

“Nothing.” he grumbled as he printed his transactions for the night. 

 

“I’m not stupid, you know. I’ve known you for awhile now, and I know that when you’re acting the way you’ve been acting tonight, something is bothering you. Spill.” she told him as she gave him a bottle of beer. He stopped and eyed the drink she was offering him. He grabbed the bottle by its neck and took a sip. 

 

“Have I told you about my roommate, Emma?”

 

“The one who won’t give you the time of day? Yeah, you did.” 

 

“Well, she was here tonight, out with her friends. I was nothing but kind, I offered them their first round, even offered to help her carry the shots to their table, and yet she keeps pushing me away. I don’t necessarily want to be friends with her, but I would like for us to be at least on speaking terms. We live under the same roof for fuck’s sake. And when I confronted her about what her problem with me was, she denied there was a problem.”

 

“Sorry to hear that. Let me guess, she’s the blond that you were talking with earlier?” He nodded as he ran a hand through his hair. “Well, from what I noticed, she seemed to be the kind of girl that keeps to herself. Give her time and just let her be. I’m sure she’ll come around eventually. I know it must not be easy to have someone acting that way with you in the apartment, but maybe she just needs to get used to the idea that there’s someone else sharing the space she used to only share with her brother. It may take her just a bit more time.”

 

He knew Tink was right. It’s what he kept telling himself over and over as to why she was acting that way, but it had been almost a month now that he had been living with them. He would have thought that by now the tension would have been resolved. 

 

Killian thanked her for trying to help him and for the drink. Half an hour later, he was done closing the bar and he decided to walk home instead of taking his usual cab. Once he got to his place, he went to his room and changed into his sweatpants before heading towards the kitchen to have himself a drink. The only thing he wanted was to have a glass of rum and sit on the balcony to help him clear his thoughts. 

 

His steps faltered when he saw that Emma was already there on the balcony, her knees tucked under her chin as she looked over their quiet street. Killian hesitated for a moment. Should he follow his coworker’s advice and just leave her be? He was about to head back inside when she turned around to look at him. She gave him a shy smile, to which he answered with one of his own. He decided to step further on the balcony and went to sit on the chair next to Emma. He sipped his drink quietly as they both stared at the scenery in silence.

 

“I’m sorry.” he barely heard her say. Killian looked at her, slightly shook by her apology, thinking at first that he might have had too much to drink and that he was hallucinating it. 

 

“For what?” 

 

“For being a bitch.” He couldn’t help himself to chuckle at how bluntly she referred to herself and her attitude towards him. He had to admit that he found her bluntness in this situation quite endearing. 

 

“I don’t think you’re bitch. I just want to know if I did something to offend you.” 

 

“No, not really. It’s just…” she paused as she tried to gather her thoughts, sighing heavily. “I don’t know why, but you make me uncomfortable. And the fact that I don’t know why just makes me want to push you away.”

 

“Is it because of all the teasing comments I do?”

 

“No, well maybe, I don’t know.” It was her turn to laugh at her own response, and Killian couldn’t stop himself but think that she looked gorgeous with a smile on her face as the wind lightly blew on her hair. “One thing is for sure, they don’t help.”

 

“Sorry, it’s just that it’s my own way of dealing with things or people when I feel uncomfortable or ill at ease.” They paused for a moment, both taking in what they were both finally vocalizing.

 

“I don’t know about you, Emma, but I don’t want us to keep living like this. I’m not saying that we should be friends, but that we at least should get along. We’re living under the same roof, and I really don’t want to make you feel uneasy in your own apartment. I’ll try to keep my comments to myself if they make you uncomfortable, but you need to tell me what bothers you because if I don’t know, I can’t work on it. But you have to meet me halfway on this, perhaps a ‘hello’, a ‘thank you’, or at the very least, acknowledging my presence would be a start.” He paused for a moment, trying to gauge her reaction. “What do say love? Do you want to start over?”

 

Emma searched his eyes as if she were trying to figure him out. She looked down to her lap where her hands were toying with the hem of her oversize hoodie before looking back up at him with a wary smile. 

 

“Okay, sure. Let’s start over. I can’t make any promises, but you’re right.” Her answer made him smile, and he thanked her for her honesty tonight and for giving this, whatever it was, a shot.

 

They stayed outside a while longer, enjoying the warm breeze as they stayed in a somewhat companionable silence. Killian really hoped that from now on, their relationship would be different, and he was sincere when he told her that he didn’t expect them to be friends. He really just wanted to get along with the person sharing the same roof as him. He was still surprised that they managed to finally talk about the issues of their relationship, especially with how the evening had turned out earlier. Tink was right; Emma just needed some time to figure this out. 

 

He felt and saw Emma shiver at one point as she she rubbed her arms with her hands. Killian noticed that the tip of her nose was a bit red and he wondered why she was still outside.

 

“Want to go back in? It’s starting to get cold.” she asked him. 

 

“Sure.” 

 

They both got up at the same time, Killian taking with him his tumbler, and Emma the mug in which she seemed to have had hot chocolate. He waited for her, gesturing towards the sliding door so she could go in first. 

 

“Well, aren’t you quite the gentleman.” she teased as she walked passed him, to which he couldn’t help himself but smile at her attempt of being kind with him. He had to bite down on his tongue so he wouldn’t say something inappropriate with his usual innuendos. He settled by only telling her that he was  _ always _ a gentleman to which, in return, earned him a roll of her eyes and a smile. 

 

He really hoped that he could keep making her smile. He really did love her smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome and they help the muse :)
> 
> Caro xxx


End file.
